Five Singaporeans who attended religious event in KL visited 10 mosques here while infectious

After attending a large religious gathering at a mosque on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, five Singaporeans returned here and tested positive for Covid-19.

But by then, they had visited 10 mosques in Singapore during their infectious period.

Congregants who visited these mosques during certain time frames may have been exposed to a Covid-19 case, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) in a statement on Sunday (March 15).

Covid-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The affected mosques are Masjid Al-Iman, Masjid Al-Muttaqin, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah, Masjid Hajah Rahimabi Kebun Limau, Masjid Kassim, Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang, Masjid Sultan, Masjid Al-Mawaddah, Masjid Jamae (Chulia) and Masjid Al-Istiqamah.

The confirmed cases had visited these mosques from March 3 to 11, at various periods of time.

Muis advises congregants who had visited these mosques to monitor their health closely for two weeks from their last visit to the affected mosque.

They should look out for fever or respiratory symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, runny nose or breathlessness, and seek medical attention promptly if they have these symptoms or feel unwell.

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They should also wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit to inform the clinic doctor of their attendance at the affected activities that are linked to the confirmed Covid-19 cases, said Muis.

The Council also reminded members of the public to be socially responsible and exercise personal hygiene. See a doctor when unwell, even with mild flu-like symptoms, and stay at home to prevent spreading illness to others, it said.

Members of the public should also keep to the same family physician for better continuity of care, isolate themselves at home when unwell and as advised by a doctor, wash their hands frequently with soap and water, and avoid touching their faces.

They should also steer clear of large community gatherings and large religious gatherings overseas during this period and defer non-essential travel to mainland China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Spain.

Muis' announcement comes after it closed all 70 mosques in Singapore for five days for cleaning, starting March 13, as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Around 90 Singaporeans were among the 10,000 people from different countries who attended the mass religious gathering held at a mosque in Selangor between Feb 27 and March 1.

At least 37 Bruneians and 77 Malaysians who were at the gathering, or were close contacts of attendees, have also tested positive, according to media reports.

"It is possible for more cases to emerge from people who had visited the mosque, or further spread to their close contacts," said Muis, adding that it is actively assisting the Ministry of Health in its efforts to conduct contract tracing to limit the spread of the virus.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.